All are accounted for after Michigan church shooting, officials say; FBI probing as "act of targeted violence"
Everyone is now accounted for in the aftermath of a shooting and fire at a Michigan church during Sunday services, authorities said during a press conference Monday. The FBI is investigating the Grand Blanc Township melee as "an act of targeted violence."
About 100 people were inside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on McClandlish Road around 10:25 a.m. Sunday when the shooting happened.
The suspect, identified as a 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford of Burton, Michigan, drove his vehicle through the front doors of the church, exited his vehicle and fired "several rounds" of an assault rifle at hundreds of churchgoers, Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said.
"This was an evil act of violence. That's exactly what this was," Renye said.
Four victims were killed in the shootings. The shooter is also dead, officials said. Two victims remain in critical condition at an area hospital, and six others were reported to be in stable condition, according to hospital officials. Henry Ford Genesys Hospital said it provided care for some of the victims.
The victims range in age from 6 to 78 years old. Henry Ford officials say that of the eight victims, five were treated for gunshot wounds and three were treated for smoke inhalation.
Monday's press conference was the final in a series of in-person reports, with local police saying additional updates will come from their social media. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was among those who spoke Monday, alongside FBI Detroit acting special agent in charge Reuben C. Coleman, Genesee County Sheriff Christopher R. Swanson, ATF special agent in charge of the Detroit Field Office James Deir and Michigan State Police Director Col. James F. Grady II.
Deir asked that area residents avoid the area near the church, which has been blocked off, asking for cooperation from the public as investigators continue to comb through the wreckage left by the fire. Over 100 victims and witnesses have been interviewed so far, Coleman said. Numerous special teams from state and federal agencies are working on the case, including a National Response Team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
In the meantime, the authorities praised the dedication of first responders and law enforcement at the scene, some of whom had only two months experience on the job, along with the immediate response of the church attendees during the incident.
"There are noble heroes who do not wear a uniform that went to that church yesterday .... Those heroes from that church did their job," the sheriff said.
Survivor Paul Kirby told "CBS Mornings" it was "the scariest moment of my life, not knowing if my family was OK." Kirby's wife and children were with him, attending a service at the church, when they heard "a loud boom coming from the back wall of the chapel."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said investigators were looking into how much planning went into the attack and whether any clues about the motive were left behind.
"From what I understand, based on my conversations with the FBI director, all they know right now is this was an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith," she said Monday.
The shooting occurred a day after Russell M. Nelson, the oldest-ever president of the Utah-based faith, died at 101.
Sanford was an Iraq war veteran who deployed once for several months during 2007 and 2008, according to service records provided to CBS News by the Pentagon. Sanford served in the Marines for four years.
Crews in white coveralls and hard hats searched through what remained of the church on Monday morning. A silver pickup truck with two American flags in the back remained where it had smashed into the front brick wall near a sign that says "visitors welcome."
U.S. officials and state lawmakers shared messages in response to the shooting, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered U.S. and Michigan flags to be lowered to half-staff through Friday to honor and remember the victims.
Grand Blanc Community Schools were closed on Monday.
Bloomfield Township Police says it will "increase patrols around our places of worship and other community gatherings to help ensure a safe environment for everyone."
The shooting was the latest of several attacks on houses of worship in the U.S. over the past 20 years, including one in August that killed two children at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is leading the investigation, has asked anyone with information to call 1-800-225-5324 or submit a tip here.